Israeli plan could uproot 30,000 Bedouins

JERUSALEM 
Israel's Cabinet has approved a $334 million plan to develop the nation's impoverished Bedouin Arab sector, but Bedouin leaders say it will uproot 30,000 people from their homes.

Israel's historically nomadic Bedouins number about 180,000. Around half live in poor government-built communities, the others in unrecognized shantytowns they claim are on ancestral lands.

Government spokesman Mark Regev said Sunday the plan will resolve 60-year-old Bedouin land claims and recognize half the shantytowns, making them eligible for services like water, health and education. Over five years, the rest will be demolished and their residents resettled in nearby towns.